"Many Minneapolis residents are hiding migrant families despite the risk."

WashingtonThe violence of the United States immigration police (ICE), turned de facto The paramilitary force of Donald Trump has descended upon Minneapolis like a miasma. It permeates everything: every street, every house, every shop, every corner of its residents' lives. Like the cold that has plummeted to twenty degrees below zero and bites at any uncovered skin, terror seeps into the daily lives of the citizens. "It's impossible to ignore. I can't leave the house without seeing something related to the raids," says Sarah (a pseudonym for security reasons), one of the city's residents, in a call to ARA. The woman explains that, since Operation Metro Surge began in December, it has become common to see unmarked vehicles driving around the neighborhood. They are anti-immigration agents hunting people. "It's literally that: they drive around looking for people with dark skin, and then they surround them and kidnap them."

John (a pseudonym), one of the organizers of the resistance groups against ICE in the citySarah agrees with him in pointing out the pervasive state of "hypervigilance." She describes how, in the chat groups where rapid response teams—those who follow ICE and whistle to warn neighbors of the agents' presence—coordinate, as well as other groups dedicated to distributing food and aid, they discuss as little as possible for fear of infiltration by federal agents. "It's very, very George Orwellian, you know? They want us to think they're watching everything we do and write. It's as if they've already entered our everyday consciousness, in the sense that we think they're spying on us all the time. And that alone is enough to terrify a population and make them behave in a certain way," she explains. the execution of Alex Pretti by one of the Border Patrol agents (CBP) during Saturday's protests against the deployment of immigration agents.

The fear of paramilitary violence is not limited to the streets; being at home is no longer a guarantee of surrender. ICE no longer just goes door-to-door looking for migrants, but is now authorized to break into homes without a warrant. Last week, US media reported on an internal memo signed by Trump authorizing agents to enter citizens' homes and make arrests at their discretion. The document constitutes a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, which was originally part of theThe Bill of Rights protects against arbitrary searches and seizures and stipulates that a warrant signed by a judge is required to enter private property. As a result, John explains that many neighbors have begun to take in individuals and families who may be targeted in raids.

"Many neighbors are hiding migrant families despite the risk. There are very clear laws stating that you cannot knowingly harbor an undocumented person. If you know you are providing shelter, it's a crime. So this is a decision that many people have had to make. There are many families being protected. It's crazy; according to the law, if a U.S. citizen is found to have knowingly harbored an undocumented person, they can face up to 10 years in prison, or even life imprisonment depending on the aggravating circumstances."

Rebecca (not her real name) is one of the volunteers who goes door-to-door delivering food to families who have stopped leaving their homes for fear of ICE and explains how many people are changing locations. "Families are moving from house to house to avoid being found by ICE," she told the ARA on Friday, after delivering food to several of these families. She knows many of them because their children are students. Her students, who have also stopped going to class for fear of the raids. "One of my students hasn't left his house in almost two months, constantly changing locations with his family." Rebecca is a preschool teacher and recounted how...Last Friday, anti-immigration agents tried to enter the center. "The situation is incredible... many of my students, when they see me arrive at their house or wherever they are, greet me with hugs. They come running, and they're so happy to see you!"

Hypervigilance and fear are not only a reality for undocumented people, but also for citizens and migrants with legal status. Liam Ramos, the five-year-old boy who was detained by ICE last week, He was legally in the country: he had entered through one of the customs checkpoints and had an asylum application in process, as his lawyers showed. The baby's father, who was also arrested, was in the same situation. "They say they're arresting criminals, but we see all the stories about friends being detained, people being assaulted and mistreated, who are legal citizens, or are in the process of trying to become citizens," explains John, who describes how other activist citizens were also racially targeted and arrested.

"A lot of people are arming themselves"

Alex Pretti is the second person killed by federal agents since Trump ordered the massive raids in the Democratic city. The 37-year-old was observing and filming the agents when they cornered him and forced him to the ground. As seen in the footage, it was then that one of the officers fired. Just two weeks earlier, Renee Nicole Good died in similar circumstances. She was in her car, observing, when one of the ICE agents fired three fatal shots at her as she tried to leave the scene.

In both cases, the administration has defended the killings by federal agents, arguing that they were in self-defense. Vice President JD Vance justified Good's death by saying that anti-immigration agents have immunity, which is false. But the 3,000 ICE and CBP officers deployed in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul seem to believe otherwise.

"A lot of people are arming themselves now because of what's happening with ICE. More people are starting to show up on the street with long guns, like AR-15s, to protect their neighbors. There are other people who for many years have opposed guns and now they're saying, 'You know what? The only thing these guys are afraid of is force,'" John explains. "The number of people considering buying a gun is very high. I bought one right after Trump pardoned the attackers at the Capitol, many of whom are linked to white supremacist groups. It was clear to me immediately: we have to start developing a plan B for when the government fails to protect us," he adds. "Those of us who have studied fascism know that it begins by scapegoating a very vulnerable group. And then, at one point or another, everyone ends up in danger and there is no security for anyone. That's why we are fighting so hard to stand up to it, because we know that soon no one will be safe."